Arch supporter



Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My present invention relates to arch protectors.

Pursuant to my invention the arch protector comprises a base member provided with an aperture and a tread member of appropriate tread functioning characteristics and having a body portion adapted to be received within the aperture of the base member, the tread member being of variant sizes to afford optimum tread relationship with respect to the sole and heel of the footwear and correlated relative to the nature of falling arch condition of the user. My base member is secured by cement or equivalent to the shank of the article of footwear at a location correlated to the selected tread member to yield optimum comfort to the user.

More specifically, my tread member may have a body portion of substantially cylindrical configuration, and of approximate diameter corresponding to the diameter of the cylindrical aperture of the base member. In such types of my invention, the cylindrical body portion of the tread member is secured within the aperture of the base member by suitable cement or equivalent. Variant size and corresponding tread function of such type of my tread member is had by variant extent of enlargement of the head portion of the tread member and correlated to the mean plane of the tread faces of the. heel and sole of the article of footwear, to afford optimum relief to the user.

Other types of my tread member take the form of a screw-threaded configuration of the body portion adapted for variant positioning in a screw-threaded faced aperture of the base member, and secured in desired position by cement or equivalent.

Further features and objects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detail description and the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a typical article of footwear having an embodiment of my invention applied thereto.

Fig, 2 is a bottom view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional elevation on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional elevation on line Of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one size of tread member;

Fig. 5a and Fig. 5b illustrate other sizes. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of another embodi- 55 ment of my tread member, of a, type having its body portion of screw-threaded configuration to afford adjustable positioning.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of another embodiment of tread member pursuant to my invention, which may be of variant sizes.

Fig. 8 is a further embodiment of tread member of the general type shown in Fig. '7, but also provided with suction cup means.

Referring to the'drawing, I0 represents any suitable type of article of footwear, II indicates its sole, and I2 indicates its heel. The mean plane of the tread surfaces of the sole II and heel I2 is indicated by the dot-and-dash line I3, see Fig. 1.

In the type of embodiment of my invention,

illustrated in the drawing, the base member I4 of my arch supporting means is secured at its rear face I40. to a suitable portion of the shank I5 of the shoe. Desirably, the base member I4 is of rubber composition. The base member is provided with a suitable aperture I6, which, as shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4, may have a cylindric'al configuration. The exposed faces I4b', lb, of the base member may be optionally contoured, desirably of artistic configuration, converging to afford a substantially flat annular area, designated I40, immediately surrounding the open end of the aperture I6.

In such type of embodiment of my invention, I provide variant sizes of tread members, see II, I8, l9, etc., as is indicated in Figs. 5, 5a and 5b, the body portion of each said tread member being substantially cylindrical and slightly less than the diameter of the cylindrical aperture IQ of the base member I4. The exposed, i. e. head, end of each said tread member, see I'Ia, I8a, I9a,, is of desired convex configuration and of variant sizes, to provide, compare with Figs. 3 and 4, variant extents of projection of each head relative to the mean plane I3 of the article of footwear. The selected tread member is secured by its body portion within the aperture I6 of the base member by cement or equivalent and/or by means of a suitable fastening device such as a pin 20, see Figs. 3 and 4. Such pin 20 desirably is provided with suitable means, such as fins, see 20a, Fig. 4, to prevent accidental displacement and loss of the tread member.

Fig. 6 illustrates another type 2I of embodiment of my tread member, its body portions having a screw-threaded configuration, see 2Ib and arranged tobe inserted within a suitable aperture I6 of my base member I4, the face of such aperture being preferably screw-threaded in mating relation with the screw-threaded configuration 2Ib. By such mating screw-threaded relation, its head Zia is adjustably positioned relative to the mean plane, see line l3, Fig. 1, of the article of footwear. Cement or equivalent, or a pin such as the pin a, may be employed for holding such tread member 2| in its adjusted position.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate further embodiments of my tread member, a characteristic of which is that its inner end, see 22b in Fig. 7 and 220 in Fig. 8, is enlarged relatively to the cylindrical face of its body portion 22, such enlarged end when forced within the relatively reduced diameter of the base aperture I6, serving to increase its frictional hold therein. Securement of such type of my tread member 22 may be additionally had by application of cement or equivalent. Such type of embodiment of my tread member may include a concave face at its end 220, see Fig. 8 at its sectioned end, to afford a suction-cup effect, functioning to provide additional securement of the tread member within the aperture l6 of the base member l4, and also their cushioning effect, to afford a further increment of comfort to the wearer.

Desirably, as is illustrated in' Fig. 2, the tread face of my tread member of any of the above embodiments, is rendered skid-proof by providing ribs or other protuberances intersected by channels.

The various types of my tread members are preferably formed of rubber composition, particularly with respect to its headed end, the exposed face of which serves as a tread face of the tread member.

My various types of tread members afford ready replacement of tread member when its tread face is worn or otherwise impaired, and to substitute a tread member of different size or other different arch supporting characteristic, such replacement or substitution being had without dismantlement of my arch supporter as an entirety.

When desired, my base member may be shifted in position relative to the shank of one or both shoes or other footwear, in the attainment of maximum comfort and ensuing improvement in the falling arch condition of the user.

Whereas, I have described my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination with an article of footwear, arch protecting means comprising a base portion variantly attached toa desired portion of the shank of the footwear, said base portion being provided with an aperture of substantially cylindrical configuration, and a tread member having its body portion of substantially cylindrical configuration secured within said aperture, the face of the portion of said tread member extending beyond said aperture being relatively enlarged and engaging in face to face relation contiguous portions of said base member, the exposed face of said tread member serving as a tread face in the use of the article of footwear.

2. In combination with an article of footwear, arch protecting means comprising a base portion variantly attached to a desired portion of the shank of the footwear, said base portion being provided with an aperture of screw-threaded configuration, and a tread member having its body portion of screw-threaded configuration matingly secured within said aperture, the face of the portion of said tread member extending beyond said aperture being relatively enlarged and engaging in face to face relation contiguous portions of said base member, the exposed face of said tread member serving as a tread face in the use of the article of footwear.

3. In combination with an article of footwear, arch protecting means comprising abase portion variantly attached to a desired portion of the shank of the footwear, said base portion being provided with an aperture of substantially cylindrical configuration, and a tread member having its body portion of substantially cylindrical configuration secured within said aperture, said body portion at its inner end being of relatively enlarged diameter, the face of the portion of said tread member extending beyond said aperture being relatively enlarged and engaging in face to face relation contiguous portions of said base member, the exposed face of said tread member serving as a tread face in the use of the article of footwear.

ALEXANDER I. NETKOWSKI. 

